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6/15/15

A plan by Washington to station
tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia's border would be the
most aggressive U.S. act since the Cold War, and Moscow would retaliate
by beefing up its own forces, a Russian defense official said on Monday.

The
United States is offering to store military equipment on allies'
territory in eastern Europe, a proposal aimed at reassuring governments
worried that after the conflict in Ukraine, they could be the Kremlin's
next target.

Poland and the
Baltic states, where officials say privately they have been frustrated
the NATO alliance has not taken more decisive steps to deter Russia,
welcomed the decision by Washington to take the lead.

But
others in the region were more cautious, fearing their countries could
be caught in the middle of a new arms race between Russia and the United
States.

"If heavy U.S.
military equipment, including tanks, artillery batteries and other
equipment really does turn up in countries in eastern Europe and the
Baltics, that will be the most aggressive step by the Pentagon and NATO
since the Cold War," Russian defense ministry official General Yuri
Yakubov said.

"Russia will
have no option but to build up its forces and resources on the Western
strategic front," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

He
said the Russian response was likely to include speeding up the
deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave
bordered by Poland and Lithuania, and beefing up Russian forces in
ex-Soviet Belarus.